Sunday, March 16, 2008

St. Georges-In-The-East Church is one of the more historic chruches in Britain, built in 1729 by a student of Christopher Wren. Situated in Wrapping, East London, the church has been repeatedly vandalized by Middle Eastern youths. And now its vicar has been hospitalized after being brutalized in his churchyard by two Middle Eastern youths. Canon Michael Ainsworth, 57, was kicked and punched in the head as one of the attackers screamed "fucking priest"._____________________________________________________

This from the Daily Mail:

The attack took place in the early evening after Canon Ainsworth politely asked three Asian youths [note that when a British paper says "Asian," they mean Middle Eastern, ususally Pakistani or Bangladeshi] who had gathered in the churchyard to quieten down.

Another group of youths intervened to protect him and they helped him into the rectory as the attackers fled.

The incident happened outside St George-in-the-East Church in Wapping, East London.

It has regularly had windows smashed by youths - who on one occasion shouted: "This should not be a church, this should be a mosque."

Canon Ainsworth, a father of four, was taken to hospital and discharged after treatment, but was readmitted after a relapse.

The church is situated in the heart of Tower Hamlets where the majority of the population - some 57 per cent - belong to black and ethnic minority groups.

A third are of a Bangladeshi background.

In another attack on the church, families were showered with glass when a brick was thrown through a window during a service.

Mr Allan Ramanoop, a member of the Parochial Church Council, said often parishioners were too scared to challenge the gangs.

The Asian church member, who lives nearby, said: "I've been physically threatened and verbally abused on the steps of the church.

"On one occasion, youths shouted: 'This should not be a church, this should be a mosque, you should not be here'.

"I just walked away from it - you are too frightened to challenge them. We have church windows smashed two to three times a month.

"The youths are anti-Christian. It's terrible what they have done to Canon Ainsworth. . .

The Reverend Alan Green, Area Dean for Tower Hamlets, said it was the latest in a series of "faith hate" crimes in the borough.

He said: "It was a nasty cowardly attack. There were several groups in the churchyard and two from one group attacked him and the other group came and helped him back to the house.

"He was kicked and punched in the head as he lay on the ground, I believe that what was shouted was "you fucking priest" before they attacked him.

"He's still in hospital because he lost a lot of blood following the attack.

"There are one or two incidents of faith hate every month across the borough and across all faiths.

"St George's had several problems a year ago, when the windows were regularly smashed by vandals. . . .

But some youth leaders and councillors in the community played down the faith hate attacks and said drink and drug problems in the area were often to blame.

Kamil Ahmed, leader at the Ensign Youth Club, based on a council estate close to the church, said: "There are a lot of 14 to 16-year-old Asians, drunk and high on cocaine, wandering round the estate. . . .

Local Respect Party councillor Abjol Miah said: "There are isolated faith-hate attacks in the ward and borough, but generally relations are good between different religions. There are always individuals who will cause trouble." . . .

Read the entire article. Clearly the problem must be something other than what these kids are being taught in their mosques. Nothing to see here. Move along.